Amazon.com Product Description

Little hard hats will have a dynamite time blasting boulders, commanding the crane, and driving trucks from backhoes to bulldozers as they construct all kinds of buildings. Incredible activities, realistic controls, and countless choices give kids a new thrill every time. (Ages 4-7) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Fun, fun, fun
I am a teacher of pre-school children with physical disabilities. The children in my classroom LOVE this game. They were so motiviated to play it that they learned to clip, drag and drive the trucks themselves. These are children who otherwise have motor and perceptual difficulties. They sing the songs together and have a great time. I highly recommend it to parents, and teachers alike. My only problem is getting them to play something else!

Plain Old Fun
My 4 1/2 year old son loves playing this game. It's just plain fun for him. He does not have difficulty in moving the mouse to perform various functions. In fact, he seems to be able to move about within the program very well. I would recommend this game.

again, simple, but loved by my son
This allows my son to smash things or blow em up, build things, and make pictures. OK, relatively mindless, but he loves it and can interact instead of passing watching the TV.

Recommended with these limitations in mind. It is a good deal in this day and age when taking your kids to the movies can bust the budget.

A good title ruined by unreliable software and lack of testi
This would be a great game, but on the Mac it freezes up the whole machine after one or two minutes of play, and on the PC it loses sound intermittently. Also some of the activities evidently have not been properly play tested - e.g. the crane game requires far too much precision for a young child, otherwise it would be a great fine motor activity...

Would be a great game, but software flaky and untested
This would be a great game, but on the Mac it freezes up the whole machine after one or two minutes of play, and on the PC it loses sound intermittently. Also some of the activities evidently have not been properly play tested - e.g. the crane game requires far too much precision for a young child, otherwise it would be a great "fine motor" activity. I would say spend the extra $$$ and get Tonka Digs 'n' Rigs, which is very similar, is much more reliable, and comes with add on controls for the PC. [NB: since I originally wrote this review, we've had more success running this on the PC, and if we avoid the frustrating activities such as the crane, my 4 year old actually does get a lot of enjoyment from some of the other activities. I'll now upgrade my rating from 1 star to 3 stars, but I'd still recommend Digs 'n' Rigs over this title.] ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the School Zone workbook series, this program incorporates critical math skills with interactive exercises and fun games. A solid curriculum, audio guidance, and clear examples help your child master essential preschool skills, including problem solving, following directions, and hand-eye coordination. The program randomizes problems with each use, providing a different experience each session. Engaging games provide an important break. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Buckle up and join Jay Jay the Jet Plane and friends for an exciting ride where the sky's the limit on learning. Best of all, kids get to help Jay Jay pass his flight tests with flying colors. Designed for children ages 3 to 7, Jay Jay's tests consist of delightful games, stimulating lessons, enchanting stories, and fun songs. Along the way kids learn about numbers, patterns, measuring, sequences, and much more. Filled with songs and even a surprise ending, Jay Jay Earns His Wings will launch a love of learning.

Based on the award-winning PBS Kids TV series, kids will find a magical world where imagination takes flight. They'll build skills in addition, matching, critical thinking, estimating, following instructions, as well as using a mouse. As they help Jay Jay prepare for his first solo flight, kids get to enjoy nature videos, explore six interactive learning games, and extend the fun with printable coloring pages. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Jay Jay EARNS His Wings
What a wonderful word for a child to learn: EARN. With concerns about my nephew being given almost anything he reaches for I bought this for his birthday. At four he is starting to develop a concept about work equating reward. His favorite cartoon show Jay Jay has helped with this wonderful computer program where Jay Jay has several errands to run to EARN his new job. The math skills taught were presented in a way that my nephew was totally unaware that he was learning! I'm looking to buy more Jay Jay programs. this one has done the job and more.

BUY THIS!!
Jay Jay is one of my almost-3-year-old son's favorite TV characters. My son is fascinated with basic math right now. When I found that it taught simple math addition and measurement, etc., I decided to pick it up right away. After we ran it on my son's computer, we were pleasantly surprised by the vivid animation and the quality of the games it offerred. Usually the drawings of the characters in a computer do not look as good as what you would see on TV, but this one is just as good. It even plays the theme song in the beginning. BUY THIS ONE!! Your kids will learn a lot from it, even though he may think he is just playing an interesting computer game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Really good children's software is fun to play with, encouragesexploration of the program, is forgiving, and teaches something. JumpStart Artist is all of those things, and more. As one might expect from JumpStart(a quality series if ever there was one), JumpStart Artist helps childrenbecome comfortable with their own creative skills, while at the same timeteaching a little bit about art history and artistic styles.

The CD-ROM revolves around a handful of activities, ranging from freeformpainting to virtual puppet making to a matchmaking game that introduceshistorical pieces of classic art. At any point in the game, the animation islively and helpful, and accompanied by a friendly soundtrack. Don't think thatthis isn't enough to do--there is plenty of material here for any little artistto explore.

Our favorite feature of the program is the variety of artwork presented in thematchmaking game. Broken down into five categories, there are examples rangingfrom Seurat's Sunday in the Park to Tanner's The Banjo Lesson, andeven Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can. The purpose here is teach kidsthat art comes in a variety of styles, and that not all art looks like MonaLisa. Not only is each piece pictured, but there is a series of buttons onthe side that describes the style of painting, how it was done, and otherinteresting details. Also, the name of each painting and the artist ispronounced audibly by the narrator, teaching children the proper pronunciationof such names as Matisse and Seurat.

This is a fun and educational CD-ROM, with plenty of depth to keep theblossoming artist involved and interested. --Mike Caputo ... Read more

Reviews (8)

more that a kids software
This is one of our favorite jump start programs. I was not sure who likes it the best: my eight year old, the five year old who has all ready build an amusement park.(you earn parts for this as you play), grandma(she bought this one), or me who was able to create my very own piture that as became my wall paper. This art program was bought for my five year old who is into scrapebooking with grandma. There are some sections that I find somewhat hard like the make a quilt. There are other sections that are for everyone in the house to do like make your own piture or Frankie's tent where you can make pitures that will go into a story/song/movie that is where most of our ride piece have come from. There is a tent that your child will learn about shapes and mixing paints. You also will learn difern kinds of art and even a mini game where you play with CJ and Edison. My age range 4 to 100.

Fun, entertaining, different
My son really liked this artist program. We first rented it from the library, and then he liked it so well we bought it. This program is different from a lot of the other artist programs out there becaue it teaches art fundamentals (i.e. what is texture, introduces kids to the color wheel, asks kids to re-create a pictures that are already drawn by causing them to match patterns, introduces them to mixing colors, etc.) It has a movie area where the pre-drawn pictures you color come to life in a movie.

It teaches foreign language. One of the movies is about a pinata, and it teaches the Spanish words for big and small. It is extremely enjoyable for preschoolers (age 4), yet it is complex enough that a young grade school child would not think it was too easy or too young for them.

Fun & Creative
I bought this for my daughter when she was 4. She is now 5. From the start this was one of her favorites and she still plays with it once or twice a week. She likes the colors and textures and variety. I like the fact that it is a creative toy that captures her imagination and it does not contain people or situations that I feel are inappropriate for small children.

Jump Start rules
This is an excellent example of what childrens software should be. This product could hold my childrens' attention for probably hours, by having them to use their own imagination instead of just "finishing" someone elses' idea. They have even found ways to play with three of four children at a time. We have had this product for over a year and it is still the one they reach for first. Jump Start products are always way ahead of the rest and this one is no different.

Ideal for homeschooling
Featuring art curriculum based on the National Standards for Arts Education, JumpStart Artist introduces students in kindergarten through third grade to the elements and principles of art, art history, the cultural significance of art, art production and display. Featuring drawing, painting, quilting, puppets, and collage activities, students are drawn into the diverse world of art as they develop understandings of basic art concepts using a collection of more than one hundred famous artworks, folk art, and cultural crafts drawn from around the world. There are fun activities introducing students to such fundamental concepts as line, shape, form, texture, value, space, color, symmetry, pattern, focal point, contrast, mood, symbols, and style. A True Color, 32-bit palette enables students to experiment with blending tools for achieving realistic color-mixing effects for their own creations. There are three levels of complexity that provide students with progressively challenging experiences. JumpStart Artist is ideal for homeschooling, and strongly recommended for traditional classroom art appreciation curriculum supplementation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Entertaining, but not educational
Unfortunately, my daughter loves this game and will not choose other software games over this one. What really irritates me is the whole "Software for Girls" marketing statement. My daughter loves Barbie, but she is also a very intelligent 5 year old who excels at other appropriately challenging games. What kind of message is Barbie trying to send girls!??!!! To me, it is insulting. You can make it both fun and educational as other character software titles have, such as Blues Clues and the Disney series. You would be much better off choosing a different character that your child loves, such as Dora. Hopefully, the latest titles from Barbie are more challenging. ... Read more

Features

• It's Thomas & Friends to the rescue in this exciting adventure
• 8 engaging activities with rich, 3-D graphics and animations
• Print certificates and pictures of all the engines
• 8 jigsaw puzzles to print and cut out
• For 1 player; ages 3 and up

Reviews (1)

Super fun for Thomas's Fans
My 3 year old grandson enjoyed this game and was able to do all the activities. The only thing missing was being able to drive Thomas on the railroad with him as the engineer. At the end of the game, it would have been wonderful for the designers of the game to let Thomas ride around railways with the child being able to make stops and choices where to drive the train on the island of Sodor. It is a game he comes back to play with many times. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Busytown, children meet all their favorite characters from the Richard Scarry books, television programs, and videos. Together with Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, Dr. Diane, Mr. Fixit, and many others, they explore 11 playgrounds rich with real-life experiences.

Give your child the thrill of learning by doing, across a wide range of early-cognitive skills. Busytown meets the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, guidelines that emphasize learning through play. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Idea But Full of Programming Bugs
My three yr old loves Richard Scarry's Busytown so it was a natural choice for him. However, he was very disapointed to find one of the games (the garage) did not work at all and several of the others have programming quirks. If the cursor isn't positioned just right the game doesn't work. My advice is to select something else or wait for another imporved version.

disappointing
I brought this because I loved richard scary as a child but was totally disappointed with the game. There is no replayabilty with the only variation in the game being in the gas station and the parcel delivery. But the children soon got bored. The best part is playing with the wind. The mouse control is very poor ending up with frustrated children. The only way to get into the gas station was to put the whole game onto the hard drive.

Bustown 2000 CD-ROM
I started with Busytown Software back in 1995 with our first son when it ran on DOS and barely on Win95. The program worked well. After reading about BT 2000, I was reluctant to buy it. I did buy it this past week, had the same problem with the gas station and within 24 hours, SSI Tech support emailed the file to copy from the CD to the Hard Drive. About a 30 second fix and the game functions flawlessly. If your child loves Richard Scarry books and videos, this is a must have to compliment what they read and view to give them hands on interaction that is unlike any other application that I have seen. My first son is now almost 7 and is teaching his 3 year old brother how to play the game.

My son loves it.
The Busy Town CD-ROM is educational and fun. There are a lot of different activities and for a 3-4 year-old to play with on his own. But you do have to have a fast computer. One of our computers was too slow and it was impossible to play the program on it. Our other computer was fast enough. We had problems getting into the gas station game. I sent an email to technical support and received a message explaining how to copy a file from the CD-ROM to my hard drive and now it works great! We are very satisfied with it. It was definitely worth the price.

Great if you can get it to work
I understand the complaints of the previous reviewers. I could not get this program to run on the PowerMac and it also had a lot of problems when I ran it on the iMac while networked to the PowerMac. But once the iMac stood alone, I only had minor problems with this program. It is a big memory hog.

It's a really super program if you can get it to run. I'd pay special attention to the system requirements before buying.

There are 12 different activities which teach your child all kinds of things. It's great for pretend role play also. Pump gas, serve customers in a deli, build a house, get a ship ready for sea, etc.

It's too bad this title has compatibility problems with so many systems, because it really is a beautifully done program. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Beginner's Bible: Classic Bible Stories introduces children ages 3 to 8 to three kid-friendly renditions of classic biblical tales. Kids learn about the value of friendship, faith, and kindness in The Incredible Voyage of Noah's Ark, Mighty Moses and the Road to Freedom, and Young David's Journey to be King. Sounds, songs, interactive games, and puzzles bring each tale to life. Onscreen texts develop early reading skills, while printable crafts and coloring projects extend the fun beyond the computer. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

This deliberately paced program takes place in Charlie Brown's world,where kids dress the same day after day and the only character with attitude isa beagle. Players who persist through this CD-ROM's slow start will be rewardedwith games and scenarios that emulate what it's like to live in the middle of a"Peanuts" cartoon. This is a good thing for kids who like the strip and thehandful of "Peanuts" TV specials in existence. But kids who prefer the morefrenetic pace of modern cartoons might find Where's the Blanket, CharlieBrown? a bit too placid.

The mental workout this program provides is excellent. More than any other gamemanufacturer, Tivola has mastered the art of setting up a problem, then quietlyletting the player figure out how to solve it. Linus's blanket is lost, andplayers can either assume the identity of Charlie Brown or Lucy and find it.Once the problem is presented, players must navigate around Charlie Brown'shouse and use their powers of observation to get the game moving. This segmentcan make players feel like they're trapped in "Peanuts" purgatory, as they arrowCharlie Brown from room to room, desperately searching for a means out of thehouse and into the rest of the game. The on-disc Help file spells out exactlywhere players must look and what they must collect to move on--resist thetemptation to look at the Help file. You will miss the challenge and charm ofthis game if you lose patience and cheat.

As the story line leads from Charlie Brown's house to a library to Schroeder'spiano room to a supermarket with many other stops in between, games areunlocked. The nine games are short, smart endeavors. Some of the standoutsinclude a game in which Schroeder plays a short melody on his piano, and kidsmust click on sequences of actual notes that match the melody. Another greatgame requires kids to put poor, scrambled Peppermint Patty back together aftershe is magically rearranged by the Great Houndini. This descrambling has someadded twists that push it far beyond typical match-the-parts games. Each of thenine games has two levels of difficulty, and once they are unlocked, they can beinstantly accessed for repeat play.

On the way to these games are numerous other minigames, opportunities forproblem solving, and goodies you can feed Snoopy to keep his Snoopy meter onfull. Players can play this game in German as well as English. Where's theBlanket, Charlie Brown? probably won't hold up to a lot of repeat play byolder kids, but the gentle way this program forces players to use their entirebrains to find that darn blanket is remarkable. (Ages 4 to 102 according to themanufacturer; we say 4 to 8, although hard-core "Peanuts" fans of any age willalso enjoy it.) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fun and Humor at a Great Price!
I love Peanuts and I just loved this game. The characters were drawn exactly as they are in the comic strips and the game remains true to the Peanuts legacy. I really enjoyed my interactive Peanuts fun - and it's a great price for such a wonderful time!

dialog may not be the greatest for younger children
I purchased this game at Target as a gift for my 5 year old daughter. I noticed that it had won some sort of Parents Choice award and she is a big fan of the Peanuts "specials". The game has a charming detective game at its base which is a bit too difficult for her to figure out. She would be happy to continue trying but I am just going to throw this one in the garbage. My problem with the game is the constant negative talk that Lucy and Charlie Brown spew as they search for the blanket. Lucy is even more bombastic on the software than she is on the specials--constantly calling people stupid and putting them down. Charlie Brown is virtual stream of negative self-talk. I am aware that much of the Peanuts humor relies on negative humor and putdowns but it seems really excessive in this software. Even though I threw the game out and definitely didn't get my moneys worth I gave the it two stars because the basic game seems challenging and fun. Definitely not a good choice if your trying to teach your child to be kind and upbeat. I

HELP!!!
My daughter is trying to beat the game and is stuck at the supermarket level...i can't seem to figure it out either... of course it could be because i'm not that great at video games but if someone could just post a thing on here and let me know how to get past it i would really appreciate it!

Thanks

Great game, and good for German students, too!
Where's the Blanket, Charlie Brown? is a fun game all Peanuts fans will enjoy. The pace might be a little too slow for the younger set expecting constant action, and a four-year-old might get easily frustrated not being able to exit the Brown household, but all-in-all it is an appealing game with lots of nice extra features. The reviewer who mentioned the fuzzy graphics probably installed the game on the Quick Install method - if you use Full Install, the graphics are crisp (although it does take up a bit more disk space)! Finally, the game is also great for German students, such as myself, as it provides more exposure to the language in an entertaining way by playing the game in German.

Mostly fun & addictive game for Peanuts Fans!
This game is fun for Peanuts fans of ANY age to enjoy. Don't be put off by the marketing, which touts this as a game primarily for young children. I am an adult (also a gamer) and I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It's interesting because there are games within the game you unlock. These are not challenging in and of themselves but it's fun to have these pop up randomly. The game is true to the spirit of the Peanuts characters, with Lucy being the fussbudget she is and Charlie Brown being resigned and wishy-washy. Although, it's not a Mensa workout for adults by any means, I think children will find it challenging and engaging and even adults may find themselves stymied by the sheer simplicity of the game, i.e. I sometimes found myself "thinking too hard" and missing obvious solutions because I'm a grown up. The only gripes I have, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars are the graphics and sound. The drawings are a bit ragged around the edges and the sounds don't always match the action (and the words don't always match the mouth movements). Additionally, the sound is set too loud (the lowest setting was still too loud at least on my iMac). Other than the few technical glitches, overall, this game is just as fun as the Sims and it's nice to play a game that doesn't involve violence. Besides, who doesn't love Snoopy and the gang? If you're a parent, this is a good game for kids and if you're a Peanuts fan, you'll love it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good value...Not great
We bought this for our 4 year old daughter. The real "plus" here is that this set is a great value -- 3 games in one package.

The "Artist" game is by far our dauther's favorite. It has a lot of different activities, including making your own movie. The "teaching" component mostly consists of very basic instructions about lines and shapes.

The "A,B,C" disc has a few games related to the alphabet that introduces the child to the letters. It also has some songs that aren't really very interactive.

The "1,2,3" disc is, well, to put it mildly, dumb. There are only 3 different games -- matching numbers (which is sadly the most interesting game), matching quantities (gets kinda tedious after a while), the last one involves maneuvering a dog around to find objects in a sequence (unfortunately, the dog doesn't always go where you tell him).

Overall, don't buy these games because you think they will make your kid smart. Just buy them for fun.

OK, for what it is.
The main advantage of this package is that you are actually getting three different modules in one box -- ABCs, numbers and art. So, from an economic standpoint, it's a good deal.

These games are suitable to begin with a 4 or 4 1/2 year old. (They are a little advanced for my 3 1/2 year old, but she can muddle through as long as Mom or Dad are nearby to help her out of a jam.)

One unfortunate component of this software is that there is no way to turn off the on-screen instructions (in the form of animated characters). After a while, it gets kind of annoying, but our daughter doesn't seem bothered by it -- yet.

The quality of the animation is so-so. The lip sync is chronically off, but I've seen worse on kids' software. It will play on Windows NT without any problem, as well as on Macs (but only in Classic mode).

My main criticism of this kind of product in general is more philosophical, than practical. In my opinion, it's important to look on "edutainment" software as a fun supplement to bookwork and parental interaction, not as a substitute for them. My husband and I work with our daughter every night on her letters, numbers, drawing (fine motor skills) and aural skills (reading novels aloud) for at least 30 minutes. If we were relying on edutainment software for her education in place of our one-on-one efforts (as well as restricting her television intake), then all she would be learning is how to be desensitized by annoying music and flashing lights.

As long as it's viewed as "fun" and not real education, then this software serves its purpose -- light-hearted reinforcement of already mastered concepts. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Every day can be a fun-filled learning adventure with the Adventure Workshop Preschool-1st Grade, featuring three award-winning educational titles for ages three to seven. Your child will love playing, learning, and just spending time with his or her favorite characters, and you'll love watching your child laugh and learn through colorful and clever activities that build valuable skills in subjects that include vocabulary, reading comprehension, addition and subtraction, logic, and art. Give your child a ticket to join this fun and exciting learning adventure.

The software bundle contains Little Bear Rainy Day Activities (join Little Bear for an exciting day of indoor fun with over 100 activities designed to strengthen creativity, thinking, and memory skills), Arthur's Computer Adventure (in which Arthur, D.W., and friends lead a hilarious adventure that builds critical reading, math, and logic skills with five learning activities and 13 surprises and puzzles), and Dr. Seuss Kindergarten (covering math to music, spelling to sorting, a full year of early learning skills in that unmistakably fantabulous Seuss style). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

mother of two busy boys
I purchased this package two years ago when my oldest son was almost 4 years old. He seldom played with Little Bear, liked the computer adventure with Arthur, but loved Dr. Seuss. This CD ROM alone has been paid for over and over. The features that are great for the children not only include the 7 areas of play (sequencing, measuring, matching, alphabet, spelling, grouping, and math..... plus other little things to do along the way), but the ability to change the level of difficulty within each area. There are 3 levels of difficulty for each area that allow the child to master a level then challenge themselves to the next level of difficulty. It is easy to move up or down a level during the game.

Follow along with your child so you know what they mean when they tell you they like "the Star Belly Sneeches" or "the Rumble Tub", and "Truffula Fruits" the best. The Dr. Seuss vernacular is another one of those things that makes this game unique.

We own about 15 childrens' CD-Roms and this one is by far the favorite. It is fun for the children while the parents feel like they are actually learning something. Our oldest child is on the verge of out growning it (6 years), but our second child, age 3, is right there to take his place.

Good Programs, Good Value
These are not my four-year-old daughter's favorite programs but she does choose them occasionally from her CD-ROM album. The graphics are not cutting edge crisp but are still good by 2003 standards. Parents should love the Dr. Seuss as it brought back a lot of nostalgia for me. My daughter's first book to read on her own was Green Eggs & Ham so it's fun for her to see Dr. Seuss on computer too. All three games are highly educational and a good value sold together. It seems the "Little Bear" title is much easier than the other two.

Loved the Dr. Seuss game
We have bought several CD packs for our 3 yr old daughter including: Living books: Grandma & Me, Brighter Child: The Muppets, Jumpstart: Numbers, Jumpstart: ABC's, and Jumpstart:Pre-K. Adventure Workshop: Preschool-1st grade seems by far the best. Arthur's Computer Adventure (part of this Adventure Workshop pack)is on par with Just Grandma & Me. Both are interactive stories that our daughter enjoys working with. She particularly likes the cashier section of the story.

Little Bear (also part of the Adventure Workshop pack) is a fun game. Our daughter really likes making cookies and dressing up various characters. But, by far the best, is the Dr. Seuss game. We really like this game because it is very educational. Our daughter really likes this game because she really likes the song and dance of the various Dr. Seuss creatures and the background story the games take place in. Unlike the similar Jumpstart games, the Adventure workshop games are challenging without causing her to feel frustrated if she hasn't mastered the task. Dr. Seuss has really helped our daughter better grasp counting and adding, recognize patterns, and identify letters of the alphabet. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This program is designed to help children learn to read. Based on the School Zone Start-to-Read! series, this interactive software has two animated stories. "Jog, Frog, Jog" tells how a frog escapes from a big dog. "Nine Men Chase a Hen" is a humorous story about cooperation and friendship. Repeated and rhyming words, audio guidance, and picture clues encourage reading success. Children can get creative with pictures, art, and words in Create-a-Story. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

When Little Raven comes across Eddie Bear's brilliant tricycle, he can't stop thinking about all the amazing adventures and fun he could have. Eddie Bear isn't around, though, and Little Raven just can't wait for Eddie's permission. After all, Little Raven thinks he'll take just a little ride and that his friend won't mind. Kids join Little Raven and learn important lessons about friendship, responsibility, and cooperation along the way. The game can be played in English, French, or German with just mouse clicks. Plus, kids get to play seven Little Raven games, including Cheeses Maze, Rounding Up Beetles, and Test Your Memory. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Fun for Preschoolers
This game is based on a story book. Stripy, the little Raven, is the main character. He borrows Bear's trike and crashes it. Along the way the child makes choices about what to do. For example to begin with the child has to decide whether to tell the truth or a lie about how the trike got broken. Kids learn about consequences and how their actions affect others in this game. Too many wrong choices and you end up in the Time Out Cave. It's pretty boring there, so the child helps Stripy make the right choices, then they can join in the game again.

Stripy acts like your typical toddler/preschooler. So do the other animal characters. The folks who designed this really knew kids. The children really identify with the characters and situations in the story.

As for restarting the game, you choose a picture at the beginning, and remember which one you chose, and then go back to that one and the game is supposed to start where you left off.

I love Tivola games because the graphics and music are so soft. It's a lot different than the majority of children's cartoonish software out there.

This program is based on a picture book.

It's a lot of fun for the kids. My two---3 and 6 love it.

Not That Good
I could not decide on one or two stars - decided on one.

- Graphics:
Marginal.

- Game play:
The characters talk almost in slow motion - annoying.
The character vocies are low and the music is loud.

- Irks:
Can't save your progress, so you and your child must go through the beginning of the game over and over each time you play it.
Hit the escape key by accident and the games quits - does not ask you if you want to - just quits ! - Dumb.

Cute!
This game is very sweet; something that moms will be happy to let their kids play. It teaches little ones about cooperation, and about making responsible choices. I love that there is a Timeout Cave for when The Little Raven chooses to do something less than nice. Overall, it is a very cute storybook-type game, that should satisfy young kids and parents.

So Cute!
This game is sooooo cute. I bought it for my daughter and I and we just loved it. I personally loved the Time Out Cave! This game is adorable. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Based on the popular PBS television show, Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet takes kids on a guided tour of their ABCs, allowing them to brush up early reading and spelling skills while learning about animals from the Kratt brothers and their leaping lemur friend.

An educational activity center for children in the 3 to 6 years age range, this game offers a variety of simple minigames designed to build alphabet knowledge by capitalizing on a young player's curiosity about the animal kingdom. Users can color animal flash cards or play an arcade-style round of Penguin Pong, bouncing ice floes off each other to reveal the answer to a quiz question. Alternately, they can go to Animal Mixups, a top-notch activity where kids mix and match animals, grafting a zebra head, to take one possibility, onto a tiger torso, perhaps with a cow or reindeer tail to finish.

As an extra bonus, play is interspersed with lengthy live-action sequences from the television program. A win in one of the spelling games triggers a shot of the Kratt brothers going face-first into a mud pit. The Kratts and Zoboomafoo the leaping lemur also host a collection game, where players seek out animals whose names start with the different letters of the alphabet, and then get to see video footage of the creature itself.

Animal lovers and fans of the show should enjoy Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet thoroughly, especially if they have never seen a game of this type before. More experienced players may recognize that about half of its activities are standard fare, reworked versions of games that appear repeatedly in educational software. This is the only complaint to be made, though, with what is otherwise a completely engaging game with lots of fascinating animal facts and great potential for teaching young learners some basic reading skills. (Ages 3 to 6) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Nice mix of learning and fun
My 3 year-old really enjoys this game. It is perfect for a child who is learning her capital letters, but who is not quite ready for phonics yet. Also, while the graphics aren't superb, they are good enough for a pre-schooler and make her feel like she is interacting with the show. The CD-ROM also has a nice variety of games where different skill sets are tested. My only reservation is that that the software seems to have a few glitches on my Windows XP.

a good collection...
of games that teach spelling, reading and letter recognition. In addition to this, are the usual colouring and puzzle games. The positives: my 3 year old is quickly learning how to spell simple words and seems to enjoy the animal movies and graphics. The negatives: the font they've used for the games utilizing the alphabet is quite difficult to read (the k could be an x, etc.) Easy readability is crucial to a teaching program such as this, when will they learn? Also, the "Penguin Pong" program needs a patch but it is easily retrieved if you go to the Learning Company's website.

Pass On This One
With all the software titles available now days, I would suggest passing on this one. My child loves animals and learning, however, this is one of our least favorites. Maybe this is because we have access to more software (family "hand-me-downs") so this one just sits. After using this a few times I kept thinking there would be more substance, there isn't. I would suggest one of the JumpStart learning series (jumpstart advanced preschool etc.).

kids and parents deserve better than this lame software
I am really startled at the praise this software is getting. We own approximately twenty software titles for children and I would rank this as one of the three worst. In its favor it does not crash, but the quality of both format and content is poor.

First off, the resolution is bad. We've run this game on a Macintosh laptop and desktop computer, and the introductory footage looks fuzzy on both.

The live-action introduction is fun for fans of the show, but the few live-action sequences in the game's interior are not enough to keep little ones happy. The Kratt brothers are charming hosts of the television show but we don't see enough of them in this game. After the introduction children see a pan-and-scan version of Animal Junction populated with twenty-six clickable animals, each representing a different letter of the alphabet. When kids click on one of the animals, they receive a "page" with a picture and an assortment of facts about that creature, though in eight instances a child is presented instead with a game (more about these later). Confusingly, when a game is finished we hear Zoboo say, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" Instead of seeing an animal page, kids get a Yes-No choice. If they choose Yes they go to a game repeat. If they choose No they then go to the appropriate animal page. Did they beta test this at all?

Finally, the games are neither well-explained nor are they well-designed for children. Penguin Pong, even at the lowest of three difficulty levels, moves slowly and, in the vein of the classic game Pong, you have to knock out 49 blocks. It takes forever and kids get bored. Similarly interminable, the letter scramble is also a mess. A child must rearrange letters to form the name of a pictured animal, then click on a virtual spinner to advance Zoboo 1, 2, 3 or 4 spaces on a "game board". First complaint: when a child uses a letter from the scramble list it remains active, which is confusing for little ones. Second complaint: the game board is 35 spaces long -- it takes at least nine scrambles, and usually many more, for Zoboo to get to the end. Third complaint: when Zoboo does finally reach the 35th square, nothing interesting happens, unless you count that now-familiar non sequitur, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" What's the lesson here -- lowered expectations? In the Noodle Hut game, Zoboo asks for a letter and your child is supposed to click on it amid a field of noodles, each with a letter on it. But even at the lowest difficulty level, there are multiple examples of letters, again confusing to little ones. If there are three "R"s, which one should they click on? Also, some of the letters are presented at a three-quarter view which makes them less recognizable. Why would you do that to young children just learning their letters? My final complaint, and an important one, is that the games are not presented within any story or context to make them either interesting or meaningful.

I could continue to find fault with each of the other games, but why bother? This is lazy, sloppy software that is not good enough for your child. Instead, buy Blue's Clues or Franklin or Reader Rabbit software -- consistently well-designed and well-written. It is strange and disappointing that PBS, long considered THE leader in creative educational children's programming and products, seems to be faltering in the wake of recent competition.

Our family will continue to watch and enjoy the Zoboomafoo television show, but this software is a loser.

Your Favorite Lemur Is Back
Animal kids is here now on CD.
On this game you must collect 26 pages for your animal book.
There are also 8 great games.
They include penguin pong,the mud pit,and Wiggys noodles.
There are many other games too. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney's Animated StoryBook: Toy Story is a CD-ROM adventure where you bring the story to life. With the click of a mouse, you'll enter a wacky 3-D world where toys come alive. As you read along, it's up to you to help Woody and Buzz escape bad-boy Sid, catch the moving van, and become best buddies. Every page is packed with fun surprises, plus music and 3-D graphics just like the movie. In fact, there's plenty of new animation for a nonstop reading adventure worth getting all wound up about! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Please help me with this. -
My 4 year old son absolutely loves toy story. He has 3 toy story CD Roms, and every toy, tape, and cd that can ever go w/ it. The problem is, I have been trying for months to get the Animated Storybook cd rom to work properly. I know it has something to do with quicktime, I am pretty sure. I think I have a newer version of quicktime, and it wants to install and delete it, but the pc won't allow it to. Well, I get as far as Ham telling you how to play, press on the play icon and it dies on me. Always w/ a message regarding qtc or pixo, both having to do with quicktime. Once I actually got all the way to the claw game, what a dissapointment that was to my 4 year old. The first day I put it in months ago, it worked great, the next morning, it never worked past Ham at the beginning again. Any ideas? Please, help, my son will grow out of his love for these characters before I know it, and I would love for him to be able to enjoy this cd rom. Thanks

My son loves it
We got this for my four year old son for Christmas. He is big into Toy Story and just loves it. He will play hours at a time without a peep. With its different levels I expect he will be entertained for some time to come. Even his older sister, who is 7, enjoys playing the game. I would recommend it highly. Keep them coming Disney!

Toy Story Animated Storybook
My two-year-old son loves this animated storybook. He has been asking to play with the CD everyday since we first got it. I bought four other animated storybooks along with Toy Story. However, this is his favorite out of all of them. The pictures are vivid and colorful. The navigation of the pages are simple compared to the others. He is able to navigate it with a mouse all by himself from the beginning to the end. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Toddlers explore a bright garden world where they can make snails count and critters with instruments play the Blue Danube Waltz. Their playmate is an engaging duckling named DeeDee, who's visiting her grandmother. DeeDee's gran has a heck of a fun place: there's a Treehouse of Shapes, a Numbers Pond, a Garden of Colors, a Musical Waterfall, a forest full of Peek-a-Boo Animals, and ABC Toadstools in the garden. Go inside and there's Gran, all set to play Picture Playtime. All seven activities can be initiated and played with a sweep of the mouse or by hitting random keys--no clicking required. Parents should plan on guiding younger toddlers around this program. DeeDee's explanations are no substitute for seeing Daddy do it.

JumpStart Toddlers sneaks the learning in everywhere. While you're counting in the Numbers Pond, sweeping the feather cursor over a lily pad makes a letter of the alphabet pop out, and DeeDee cheerfully interrupts her counting to utter "A!"(or whatever the letter is). Letters also appear like subliminal advertising behind the Musical Waterfall. Music is everywhere on this CD-ROM as well; each activity has a corresponding song, belted out in DeeDee Duckling's Broadway best.

We occasionally find JumpStart's characters a bit cloying, but whoever designed DeeDee gave her some of the very same qualities that make toddlers so endearing. DeeDee fidgets, rubs her nose gleefully, and chews on the ends of her bonnet ribbons.

The Learning Scrapbook that comes packaged with this CD-ROM is simply a series of printable templates that parents can use to build a baby scrapbook in that cutesy JumpStart graphic style. (Ages 18 months to 3 years) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (27)

What are you thinking?
Ok.. I do not own this title. I am looking for something to buy for my 18 month old since he's bored with jumpstart baby. I have a major issue with most of these reviews --- MANY people say that a big problem with this software is that it requires the parents to be there and do it. DUH. These are toddlers - little kids! Of course a parent should be sitting right there helping out!!! My son loves moving the mouse around because I taught him how to do it, not some software. (white curser on black blackground did the trick, btw). I have no intention of plopping my baby down in front of the computer and walking away. It's just like watching the TV - a parent (or other adult) needs to be sitting right there explaining stuff and interacting with him. I don't understand how you can give a bad rating simply because it requires an adult to interact with the child. If there's something wrong or bad with the software, I want to hear it. But saying it's bad because it forces a parent to spend time with the kid is not a good reason for a bad rating!

Great start for beginning computer users
At around 2 years old my son began showing interest in computers. His dad is an IT Administrator so our son was around computers all the time. Also, he was (and still is not) interested in learning the traditional way (through books, play, etc.), but rather through computers. We were NOT disappointed with this piece of software! Through this program my son has learned most of the alphabet, shapes, numbers and colors. We have had this one for about six months and he has not lost interest in it.

However, there are some things that I was not pleased with. First, this product is recommended for children 18 months-3 years. It would probably be more suited for children 2 1/2 to 4 simply because it requires basic knowledge of how to use a mouse and the program does NOT teach this skill. Also, the concepts it teaches (letters, numbers, shapes, colors, music, animals, memory skills, etc.) are more geared toward the preschool crowd. Second, the layout is "busy" and it is hard to see all of the different entrance areas (even for me an adult). Finally, another minor complaint (it is very minor) is that the duck's voice can get annoying after 15 minutes or so for me, but my son enjoys it so this is tolerable.

Overall, I highly recommend this software, however, for children over the age of two.

Teaches Mouse Skills
Regardless of what other reviewers said this is THE ONLY SOFTWARE WE HAVE FOUND THAT TEACHES MOUSE SKILLS. We bought this software along with toddler verisons of Reader Rabbit, Winne the Pooh, and Sesame Street when our oldest child was about two. For over a year she was frustrated with not being able to make the games do what she wanted. Then one day we helped her 'find the animals under the leaves'. The game responds to mouse movement so clearly that in less than an hour she had it down. Now she can use the mouse to do what she wants in all her computer games with little assistance. Unfortunately, the kids stepped on and broke our Jump Start Toddler CD. We have been trying to teach mouse skills to our younger children using the other games we have, but the games just aren't cutting it. We'll be getting another copy of Jump Start Toddler soon.

My advice is to buy it at 18 months. Play the 'find the animal' game once every 3 weeks. When your child is able to understand how the mouse works, they're ready to play more often and try the other games on this software. Then get the preschool versions of Jumpstart and/or Reader Rabbit ready for the day they get bored with the toddler games.

Very disappointed
Jump Start Baby was fantastic so when my twins became toddlers I decided to buy Jump Start Toddlers. The graphics and sound quality are fine the but usability is not easy and very erratic. Take the counting game for example. 10 fish are displayed on the screen and it is supposed to count from one to ten so the child can learn to count. What happens is if the keyboard is clicked (which it is all the time) it goes on to the next group of fish to count. So basically your child is just hearing the number 1. This also happens with the colors. The flowers change color and as soon as the keyboard is clicked it goes on to the next color to change cutting Dee off in mid sentence. I think the product would be really good if this feature were fixed. We have stopped using this product.

Diappointing
This game is very disappointing. There is actually very little to do and see. It requires a parents help to point and click the mouse and has very little interaction. Other CD's capture my 21/2 year olds attention for 3x as long. It is rather expensive and keeps a young childs attention for only 10-15 minutes. I read several other reviews saying it would be better for older kids - but my 5 year old daughter complains the CD is boring with nothing to do. I suggest Reader Rabbit or Fisher Price Little People instead. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Freddi Fish--super sleuth of the sea--has an eye for detail and is always looking out for her friends, especially her best friend Luther. In Freddi Fish: The Case of the Haunted School House, the young guppies are convinced that a ghost is scaring them and stealing their toys. Freddi thinks something's fishy and sets out to build a trap to capture the phony ghost. In this cartoon-style adventure, kids direct the action in over 40 locations, where they meet and help new friends, explore sunken ships and caves, and even swim through the lost city of Atlantis to solve the case. Plus, a bonus arcade-style game--Maze Madness--comes on the same CD-ROM. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Terrific game...highly recommend!!!
Both my 3 1/2 yr. old and my 6 yr. old daughters play this game. They both absolutly LOVE it!!! It utilizes problem solving and memorization in a wonderfully fun way. Even my husband and I have played this game as well. We have had to now go and get the other Freddi Fish games, because our children enjoy them so much. I would definitely recommend this game!!!

My kids LOVE this game!!
My girls age 3 & 4 could play this game for hours. It's a new game every time you play. The girls get SO excited when they finally capture the ghost! I recommend this for anyone with kids age 3-6. I even enjoy playing it myself!! lol Hint: if you do not get a booklet with the game, press F1 key & print off the game suggestions. I just bought 3 more Freddie Fish games for my girls-that's how much they love this one!! Worth the money!!!!

Excellent!
We ordered Freddi Fish 2, 3, 4, and 5. All are just wonderful! My three year old daughter loves them. They have staying power, meaning they do not get old very quick like a lot of the other children's games. They have excellent learning value. I would highly recommend any and all of them for someone from the 3-5 age group.

Keeps kids entertained
This is a great game for kids. My 4 year old just loves playing it because it's challenging enough to be interesting, but easy enough that it's not frustrating. The object is to build a trap to catch the ghost and for that you need to find 5 things. Finding each piece requires a 2 step process, something my daughter caught on to about halfway through the first time. Although the box says it's different everytime you play it, there are only about 5 variations of the game. Still that offers great variety for the price and by the time my daughter got through them all, it was still a bit challenging to remember the tasks she had to do. I do think an adult should play along the first time to point out the "ghost" is just some bad fish in disguise and make light of some of the scarier characters. But, there are plenty of friendly characters too. I've seen other reviews mentioning the lack of a save feature. It does have one (press the "S" key), but the instructions don't mention it-the website technical support section explains the save feature. Overall a great game that is highly recommended-we'll definitely be getting more Freddi Fish games in the future.

Beginner Freddi fans
I gave my 3 1/2 year old grandson his first Freddi (Haunted Schoolhouse) for Christmas, and it's fast becoming the game he always wants me to play with him. Animation is fantastic! Only problem we're having is there seem to be no instructions for playing "Maze Madness". There are all these wonderful looking mazes, but I can't figure out what we're supposed to do with them. Makers of the software need to fix that part. Other than that, the game is great fun! ... Read more